On some days, mostly in the Fall and the Spring, I have a problem with condensation forming on the cast iron tops of the tools, causing rust.
I use wax and I've tried Boeshield and Topcoat but there are some days, usually when the night has been pretty cool and a warm moist air mass moves in, that they are not up to the job.
I'm guessing that the cast iron has enough thermal mass that it can't respond to the change in temperature quickly enough, so that, if the humidity is high enough, the cast winds up being below the dew point and condensation forms. It's not a problem on the sheet metal.
I was wondering if it might be worthwhile to mount a ceramic base light bulb fixture inside the cabinet of the tablesaw and the shaper. I was thinking that, if I mounted it up high in the cabinet, close to the table, a sixty watt bulb would provide enough heat to keep the cast above the dew point.
Regards, Tom Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania